Twinky

Mark, I'm disappointed in you. Doncha know that trees can walk? They're called Ents. If they stay still for long (years) they become rooted. They can fight, too.

Interesting discussion, but way off track. Maybe Raf can split off part of this into a separate thread? (A "spiritual divorce," if you will)

And that, folks, is how you define your TWI-honed skills and incorporate them in your own resume. And you thought the Way stifled creativity? Look again!

Why isn't TWI as big as it was in the 70s? Why did any of the big cultic things fade? The hippie trail, Indian meditations/ashrams etc. Flower power. Nobody does that stuff now, not in the way it was done in the 70s. Too much else to choose from. Now, there is a huge choice of other cultic activities to join. When one gets boring or legalistic or even just restrictive, it's time to move on. Not really related to TWI, but the incidence of cults continues to grow. And yes, you can join from your basement or your bedroom or wherever private place you inhabit. Seekers for truth or spiritual enlightenment can find any number of teachers on the web. Extreme examples nowadays are those young fools who try to follow Muslim enlightenments, and find themselves in terrorist websites that encourage them to join banned organisations, run off to dangerous countries, and blow themselves and others up. That's extreme cultic mindset. There are cultic Christian groups on the web too. I don't doubt that VPW would have fancied being an internet/TV preacher given half a chance: he did set up a radio program, after all, using the technology of the day to promote his ... himself!

Maybe you can change the past. You learn more about why your parents made or forbade you doing something. As an adult you can decide they weren't being mean but actually said that because they loved you. So you choose to change the past by acknowledging their concerns for you AND you can change how you feel about whatever was compelled or forbidden. You can look at your life and consider how it would have been affected if you had done. .. whatever. Maybe you can't change the physical events that were painful - a death, an accident - but you can change your attitude and your perspective, and that in turn does change the eventerms somewhat. And before you all complain, there are definitely some heartrending things in my life that I wish had never happened and that really cannot be changed.

It was always a "joke" esp in rez and for the Corps - plenty of work now, and we'll sleep after the Return. They used to say, everyone else will be partying, and there will be a quiet room off on one side whence emanates the gentle sound of the Way Corps snoring as they finally sleep. I believe other cultish groups say similar... For me, sleep wasn't an issue. I've always functioned perfectly well on 5 hrs, though I'm not and never have been a "morning person." More sleep makes me feel hung over. Actually in rez I was one that they tried to MAKE go to bed, LOL!!

Ha ha ha ha ha Allan. Happy Christmas to you and yours, too :)

TWI = Total Waste of Individuals.

Didn't work though, did it? Else VPW himself would have been ratted out a loooooonnnnnnnggggggg time ago.

Love that, GSG.

I see this person saying what he's had enough of; not saying where he thinks he's going or what he's looking for. I wonder if his perspective might be different if he were a black person (I do get the impression he's white, but I might be wrong). It seems to me (from this side of the pond) that a lot of American Christianity is "prosperity gospel" and that's certain a lot of what TWI propounded. There is very much more in the Bible about suffering, persecution, and persevering through difficulties. And there is a significant amount about compassion leading to open-handed help and service. I live in a different country, and have lived in other countries, and the fear-bashing and money-oriented culture of the American mega-church or of the cultish TWI does not prevail in those other countries. This person needs to explore outside of the USA. Go on mission to Africa or India or Albania or somewhere else, for a little while.

Who's going to volunteer to add some other information about the subject? One for Raf, perhaps...?

???????????????? What are you talking about?????????? And I'm not answering anything. Just adding something to your assertions for you to consider, that you seem to have overlooked. Whether you choose to consider it or not is up to you.

Waysider, you don't just mean the TWI bandwagon, do you? I'm telling you, there are non-trinis in ordinary churches - they just go to the ordinary churches because there's enough succour for them and they close their ears to trini doctrine.

TMVP, try checking in one of the online Bibles, for "Adam". You will find almost all of the 27 occurrences refer to the person of what we are told is the first man (Eve's hubby) although Gen 5:2 says: 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.[emphasis added] A further reference is to a city (in the book of Joshua, when crossing the Jordan). And then there is this ONE reference, in 1 Cor 15: 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [live-giving] spirit. Not "the second Adam" but "the last Adam." Second Adam implies there might be another after him, the third Adam. There are NO MORE "Adams" to be referenced. From Blue Letter Bible (online resource): "Quickening" - Strongs G2227: Strong's Number G2227 matches the Greek ζῳοποιέω (zōopoieō), Outline of Biblical Usage: to produce alive, begat or bear living young to cause to live, make alive, give life by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate to restore to life to give increase of life: thus of physical life of the spirit, quickening as respects the spirit, endued with new and greater powers of life [*]metaph., of seeds quickened into life, i.e. germinating, springing up, growing The first Adam was a "living soul" - the last Adam is "a life-giving spirit." Does that make any difference to your theology, TMVP?

Dunno, waysider, you might find that there are a lot of non-trinis out there. They just go along with the standard doctrine of the church of their choice, feeling they have nowhere else to go, but finding enough spiritual succour to want to stay. For some who didn't believe trini doctrine, perhaps TWI felt like a safe place to be (more fool them... sadly).

Some scholars say that 1 & 2 Corinthians are actually fragments of other letters that have just been put together (no doubt unwittingly) and that there should be 3 and 4 Cor as well. It would be fair to say that Paul wrote many more letters than the very few that are preserved and attributed to him.

Miaow!

To do what he's (accused of) doing, he's been suffering from "a lack of oxygen framework in the brain" for a long time. At least if his larynx is damaged, he can't sweet-talk (lie to) anyone else.

About time that PoS was extradited and tried in the US.

Allan, not "sent to" NZ - commissioned in NZ. There have been WoW teams over several years now. God bless and protect the poor fools. No idea what your fave country coord is up to these days. Special training for the WoWs, perhaps :(

I'd completely agree with you that if CCTV is to be used, it ought to be kept for longer than 24 hrs before recording over it. There are various ways to record information and storage is reasonably cheap nowadays. Nobody can right the wrongs done to you, Roy, but the Healer of Broken Hearts can surely work wonders. Truly. It's good (and healing) for you to push for this to protect other children currently going through the school system.

George, simple statement of fact. I'm just saying that even where there are lots of CCTV cameras, there are still blind spots in spaces where there are cameras, and some places (like toilets!) that you wouldn't really want them. Those who wish to bully and abuse others soon locate the "blind spots." I don't know whether having cameras around is a good thing or a bad thing. Who has access to the footage? Certainly in the UK, there are few public places you can go where there aren't at least a few CCTV cameras. People and nefarious activities have been identified from security cameras attached to ("protecting") shops, bank teller machines, homes, within cars, you name it. And in schools, many children nowadays own mobile phones and are skilled at using them. And in fact, mobiles (cellphones) are themselves often used as a means of bullying other schoolkids.

Hello, Roy, it is nice to see you back here again after so long. You haven't been around for a while. I don't know about schools, but certainly in the UK some nurseries/pre-schools have CCTV that the parents can log into. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad one. Perhaps it is the additional confidence that it gives some parents, that they are able to observe their child should they so choose - rather than them actually observing their child. But there will always be places that there aren't CCTV cameras, where children can be abused, bullied or molested.

Looks like he's 72 today. Happy birthday, John. Time to retire. You've done your three score and ten, and then some.